You know what I hate most in translation? Aside from words with no direct counterparts in English, it's those sentence structures you understand, yet cannot phrase in English without being utterly clunky or losing a lot in the translational process. Although Technical Japanese would take a close second. (gg translator-san, I admire you for ploughing through this stuff by your ears. Ugh.)

Thus, I bring you the History of the Knightmare Frame, as provided on the official Code Geass site. Aside from being interesting, it also partially answers that million dollar question of why Lelouch could pilot a Knightmare Frame like it was plug and play, if you didn't already know. There are currently 4 parts, I'll translate whatever comes after (if there's anything after) in 3-parts portions or until the end, whichever comes first. There might be grammatical incorrectnesses in this, I've just recovered from a week-long period of braindead, do point out to me and I'll fix if you wish.

It might be useful to remember that the Code Geass world does not have internal combustion while you're reading this.




The History of the Knightmare Frame

Part 1 – The First Age : Infancy

Like many history-changing inventions, the development of the Knightmare Frame has an exceedingly humble beginning. As everyone knows, the Knightmare Frame originated from the concept of 'Emergency Survival Cockpit'. The research was for a rocket motor-equipped cockpit block meant for tanks and the like. As its name suggests, this invention is made to quickly jettison important crew members out in an emergency. In searching for ways to increase survival ability, the researchers came up with the concept of attaching a pair of legs to the cockpit.

The 'walking cockpit' was thus researched, developed, and manufactured, and became what would lead into the future 'Knightmare Frames'. At that point, however, the energy filler loading capacity was limited, and it could not be used except in extreme emergencies. The 'cockpits with legs' of this time were later called classified as 'First Age Knightmare Frames'.

But why two legs? This was a problem of internal space. Fitting a cockpit block into conventional tanks required additional storage room for the legs, and this became a limitation. Because of this, the idea of more stable cockpits with four or more legs could not be implemented. One could say that from this two-leg limitation, the road towards the humanoid-shaped weapon called 'Knightmare Frame' was opened.


Part 2 – The Second Age : Turning Point

What brought the primitive First Age Frames closer to current models is the Second Age. At the time, clearance was given to 'develop a new kind of weapon that has never been seen before', and research went ahead. There were three definite developments :

1) Loading all-purpose manipulators for various work
2) Equipping Landspinners for large scale cavalrylike movement
3) Upgradinging sensor capabilities by introducing Factspheres.

However, the Second Age experiments also came to a halt in the trial phase.

For example, the Second Age landspinners were incapable of rapid starts and stops, often tumbling over in such tests. The manipulators also were incapable of delicate work, so much that they were better called 'magic hands'. It would not be until the Third and Fourth Ages that the technologies associated with the ascent of the Knightmare Frames were made practical.

Furthermore, the technologies that would later become the basis of Knightmare Frames were divided in two approaches. The Second Age's great strides could be attributed to a blend of both. One is based on the application of concepts normally found in military-based robotics studies. This approach has since been connected to the present Special Division within the Britannian army---the 'Special Dispatch Guidance System Division'.

The other approach is based on social welfare. Backed by the Ashford Foundation, which proactively supported technologies related to training/education and welfare, the research progressed. The bipedal weapon developed then was thus far named 'Knightmare' by the military, and the civilian welfare-minded equipment was called 'Frame'. By uniting the two terms, the name 'Knightmare Frame' was born.


Part 3 – The Third Age : Archetype

From the fruits of the Second Age's research to concrete combat-capable experiments, is the Third Age Knightmare Frame. It is with this Age that research began to prioritize technologies that allow enough mobility to realistically follow battle plans and practical retention of ordnance.

The model that best represents Third Age Knightmare Frames is widely known as the Ganymede, developed under the leadership of the Ashford Foundation. Its pilot was granted knighthood, and later became a Queen of the Britannian Emperor. (Note : The Japanese clearly states that she was 'one of his queens', to settle that debate once and for all) However, shortly after the death of said pilot, the Ashford Foundation's proposal began to fall into decline, causing the line of the inventor close to said foundation to be retired. Many have purported this incident to be a secret political feud regarding the new surge of interest in Knightmare Frames, to hold the expansion of the Ashford Foundation's power in check. The truth is regardless unknown.

Knightmare Frame research in the Third Age also decided the future strategic value of Sakuradite, as the Sakuradite-rich Coalminus has proved indispensible in bringing out maximum performance in the Frames. A stable source of Sakuradite and the new era of armies composed of Knightmare Frames became a subject not dissimiliar from the problem of the chicken and the egg. It was a closely watched integral element in every Britannian foreign and political policy after this point onwards.

The Third Age Knightmare Frames were no longer merely a technological discovery, but a political force. This would later become the origin of Knightmare Frames in a later age.

Part 4 – Fourth Age : Implementation

Knightmare Frame development in the Fourth Age owes heavily to the aforementioned Ganymede. As stated before, the Third Age defined the raison d'etre of Knightmare Frames as weapons of the new age. The Fourth simply grows into an implementation of that.

From the experiment data on the Ganymede and many trials and errors came the RPI-11 Glasgow. Proving its superiority in the Japan Occupation War, it heralded 'the Age of the Knightmare Frame' to the rest of the world. Even afterwards, the Glasgow remained a staple in various Britannian military engagements, and received many modifications and upgrades. All Knightmare Frames developed afterwards still continued to use the Glasgow as the base for development and divergence. The Knightpolice used in law enforcement and the Boatman for aquatic work, as well as the Japanese remodelings Burai, Burai-kai and Raikou are all part of this Fourth Age.

The strength of the Knightmare Frame is due in no small part to its two legs, which gives it all-terrain mobility. Thanks to the bipedal design, it is possible to conduct a sequence of military movements rapidly, such as beach disembarkation followed by taking over an urban district. This is made clear with the Knightmare Frame's dominance in the Japanese War, which was composed of highly complicated terrain.


---

BONUS



3rd Period Hour

Ughhh~, ah, my stomach is rumbling... It's not even about that 'weak constitution' act. If I just gorge down my lunch carelessly now, everyone would be so, so shocked...

Mnnn? Is that the sweet smell of pizza in the air? Aaah, my feet, they're moving on their own~

"These footsteps...Kallen-san?"

Ah, Nunnally. You knew with just footsteps. Are you alone?

"Yes, Sayoko-san just went out to buy grocery for dinner. I'm just relaxing in this sun."

Eh, but, you're so thin yet you eat pizza and still can eat dinner afterwards!?

"Eh?"

Um, no, see, I smelled something nice, like roasted cheese, so I thought oh wooow can it be? Just like that.

"Eek! That's not me. That's...ah, uh, um"

Hm?

"Um, it's something Oniisama picked up..."

Something Lelouch picked up? A cat, or something else?

"Y, yes. A cat, something like that..."

Cats eat pizza? What a weird kitty...

"Yes, well...Oniisama just seems so busy lately, and he doesn't come home very much, and when he's back he's always in his room, with the cat. All night long..."

I see...

"Yes…"

Well, me, too, I guess...

"You, too?"

Ah, can you just forget about this story when I've left? There's someone I hold in great esteem, see. He's a really incredible person, has the same goals as I do, and he even puts his trust in someone like me, and I think I'd do my best to respond to that trust...

"Yes"

And somehow, from somewhere, just like he picked her up, and just goes along with him...

"Does he have a lover?"

I still don't know for sure what's up with that, though. She's a really white girl. And then he said stuff like she's my comrade, and then he looks at her and said, l think white snow is beautiful, or something like that, something with deeper meanings...

"He's horrible, that person. To hurt Kallen-san like that."

No, it's not really 'hurting', not that bad. I was just wondering is all.

"No, I really feel he must be a bad person somehow."

Well, I suppose his image isn't exactly like a paragon of virtue...Lelouch is pretty bad himself, too, leaving you all lonely like this.

"No. Oniisama is not a bad person at all." (matter-of-factly)

...Ah, ah I see.





4th Period Hour

Mu..... As I suspected, balancing a double life between "The Order of Black Knights" and school is a severe prospect. It's a bit relieving to think I'll meet Nunnally when I get back home...

...wait, I can smell scorched cheese. Again. C.C.!

"Melmome mome, Mumuuhu (munch munch)"

You ordered pizza again, didn't you... And using my card, even.

"Fiffa fiit..."

Swallow before talking, if you would.

"Pizza is most excellent, you know. To have invented it is truly mankind's greatness."

While I suppose it's okay since I don't have problems paying, how about displaying some restraint? This is quite shameless.

"What are you talking about? 'Three pizza per day', isn't that our contract?"

I distinctly do not recall ever making a contract on such bizarre terms!

"Hn. That, Lelouch, is your weakness. You think too much about every little thing, and make everything difficult."

This is not difficult. This is most definitely not difficult. At all.

"Well, if I need enough pizza and get stamps, I can exchange it for goods. It can't be helped, can it?"

Whoa, a threat. Stop being lured by the promise of goods, you're not a child... let alone that, you've lived more than a decade looking like that, didn't you.

"...Ah!"

Wh, what's wrong?

"I filled all the stamp slots...why, I can get a Cheese-chan cushion along with a Cheese-kun pillow with this!"

...congratulations.*

"With things this way, I can't not get the Cheese Puppy Backpack, too..."

With what things this way? Idiot.

"Ah... But, it seems I really have eaten too much. I am so full I'm dying."

You didn't die from a bullet to the head, as I recall.

"This pain, this torment, can be cured by eating more pizza, I feel."

Maybe dying just once would be good for you. The shock might cure you of idiocy, who knows.

"(suddenly serious) "Lelouch. Eating pizza is one of the reasons for my existence in this world. It's foreordained to be this way."

...Huh?

"Yes...the name C.C. is actually short for "Cheese & Crust", after all."

Eh, really!?

"Of course I lied."

.........

"Hn. You bought it for a second, it seems. Use your head more, idiot."

T, this woman... Somehow I have a feeling the first thing I have to rebel against is her...

---

*This direct translates as 'good/good for you', but that's too clipped for the context and kinda OOC. It's sort of a mock "I'm happy for you, I guess", but I cannot see that coming out of LL's mouth, so I stuck with 'congratulations' which is nicely neutral. It was not a Lloyd reference in the original. ^^;



EDIT : By the way, the 2nd Character Poll is now up on the official site, in case you haven't been going there. It's in bright Orange letters and very noticeable. Go vote, even if you have! The Order approves of cheating at polls! ^^
Date/Time: 2007-03-02 18:33 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] hylarn.livejournal.com
Arigatou!
Date/Time: 2007-03-02 22:02 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] silentorphan.livejournal.com
"Yes...the name C.C. is actually short for "Cheese & Crust", after all."

*laughs himself senseless*
Date/Time: 2007-03-02 22:24 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] animegoil.livejournal.com
Interesting to read ^_^ thanks for taking the time to translate all this! I still don't see how that explains Lelouch being able to manipulate a Knightmare so easily though...

And Nunally's comments were rather ironic, weren't they?
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 20:29 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] animegoil.livejournal.com
Wow, so they were talking about Lelouch's mother when they said that stuff about the Queen pilot? O.o Talk about read between the lines. Yeah, that does explain stuff. And the Ashford stuff too.

...btw, I can't remember at the moment, but Millay knows about Lelouch being a prince, right?
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 02:05 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
are you guys sure? If I do remember right, Britannia is currently on the sixth generation KF (knightmare frame; Lancelot doesn't count, since it's a prototype and not Mass-produced yet, lol, that would be scary), and if I'm right, that history there ended with the 4th generation, or Japan's take over. Although it does seem to fit....It feels a bit too big to fit into the little hole there. ~_~ oh well, we'll see.

lol, so there's like, three main theories for Marianne's death now:
- Old man Britannia ordered it, reason: Darwin
- Ashford's competition with others and her death meant their decline
- Japanese/Kururugi Genbu
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 02:17 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
Oh, pardon me, I think I have caused some confusion. I knew Sutherland is a 5th, but I was just testing to see if that theory is true, apparently, it is.

Hm...isn't Cornelia's knightmare 6th?
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 05:15 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
~_~ then why didn't they just call Lancelot a 6th!? shesh, so much complexities.

Hm...i don't like how Britannia mass produced Sutherlands, not only are they ugly (imo), but they're not that strong either, they're slower than Glasgow, and in Japan where they're getting MAJORLY pwned by Raikou, Guren, and later Gawain, I see no advantage in producing those =\, their slightly higher defense is paper against those monstrous frames. At least the Glasgow are faster.
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 06:20 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
LOL, Where's Vista!? XDDD

don't worry, I'll dork with you.
(argh, dunno how to make it smaller)

From what I've seen, Sutherland doesn't have that great of a speed, something I've found essential in fighting Kuro no Keshidai, who uses something similiar to hit and run most of the time =\.

Oh, Raikou isn't those frames Todou and the Four holy beasts have? what are those then!?

I'd assume Gawain is something more like a 6th, seeing as how Lancelot is 7th, and that's THE prototype. Probably because of its size, it wasn't deem useful in massive fights, though it probably worked awesome as a cannon.

I beg to differ on the fact that Sutherlands have to be outgunned. If they could put such a strong system in Lancelot, at least implement a better one in those mass-produced ones, it's not like lives are made out of paper, and the Britannians aren't idiots exactly: Stronger frames = less mortality = more men to send out to fight and Stronger frames = less frames produced = less production cost = Higher quality frames = more maintenance = perform better.

that looks really confusing OTL
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 18:08 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
LOL, that eva+squid frame? XDD, and rofl, good description.

Guren mk.I = ?
I thought Todou's was a modified Gekka (yeah, that's the name, OTL how'd you remember all of them!?)

I guess I know who to go to when new info comes =P

Too bad Stability can't save those people against chainswords, laser cannons, super manuever, etc.
Date/Time: 2007-03-02 23:06 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] kurotsukih.livejournal.com
"Um, it's something Oniisama picked up..."

Something Lelouch picked up? A cat, or something else?

"Y, yes. A cat, something like that..."


----
Lol , honestly , how wonder just how much Nunally knows .
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 02:06 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
"Yes, well...Oniisama just seems so busy lately, and he doesn't come home very much, and when he's back he's always in his room, with the cat. All night long..."

Shouldn't you worry about that even more? XDDDDD
Date/Time: 2007-03-02 23:44 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] annwyd.livejournal.com
Thanks for this! I really like the detail they've put into their world's background. It's nice to see the setting get that kind of attention. Also, are they saying that Marianne was a Knightmare pilot? That makes her so much more awesome.

*runs to the poll, repeatedly votes for Euphemia and Milly*
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 01:23 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] nayami.livejournal.com
I love the bonus stories, but I don't quite get where they come from on the site.
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 01:35 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] nayami.livejournal.com
Ah I thought they were the ones from the magazine, but I wasn't sure. Are they the ones that come with the colored Ashford pictures?
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 02:10 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] defade.livejournal.com
すがいですね・・・

I'm not bothered enough right now to read the whole thing with my nearly kaput eyes, but seriously, you're awesome for translating this. And I'm sure that parts of these history of Knightmare Frames is there because they CAN'T STUFF IT INTO THE ANIME SERIES.>:EEEE Thus I demand more of this.
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 02:28 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] x-reggg.livejournal.com
Third Age defined the raison d'tre of Knightmare Frames

i guess you meant raison d'etre? unless my french brain cells aren't functioning...
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 03:42 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] puchikonyo.livejournal.com
thank you for the translations!!~~ that was interesting!~ :3
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 07:38 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] ener.livejournal.com
Would you happen to have the 4th Period Hour illustration? I've never seen it and would like to see what the translation is to.
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 05:16 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
do you happen to have the first and second one? =O
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 20:36 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] meitsu.livejournal.com
ooh, nevermind, I think i know which ones are those *checks* yeah, I have them =p
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 10:21 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] loqi.livejournal.com
Thanks for the translation!

The connection of Ashford with the Frames could explain why Llyod accepted a meeting with Milly.

Marienne must haved kicked ass. =D The parallel between her and the emperor and Suzaku and Euphemia is interesting.

Loved Fourth Period Hour. XD C.C. with pizza is such crack.
Date/Time: 2007-03-04 01:24 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] loqi.livejournal.com
Oedipal-ness, as in Oedipus? How so? Are you thinking of the thick amount of cuttable irony that was in Kallen and Nunnally's conversation? XD

Walking Technology Connection = Beautiful Irony = Eligible

YES! XD Ashford's connection with Frames can explain another thing too, I think... that Sakuradite is so abundant in Japan and maybe they had been there before the invasion occurred.
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 13:58 (UTC)Posted by: [identity profile] queen-marshed.livejournal.com
So the mighty Knightmare frame stared off as a cockpit with legs? Intresting...

Cheese and crust lol. XD Only sunrise is able to make their characters characters do cracky things and still be canon. XD
Date/Time: 2007-03-03 19:34 (UTC)Posted by: [personal profile] empanadas
empanadas: (Kira & Lacus -- Gundam SEED Destiny)
Hmm, the history of the Knightmare Frames + C.C crack = Awesome.

Do I sense Kallen's jealousy? xD

Profile

code_geass: (Default)
Code Geass

February 2019

S M T W T F S
     12
3456789
101112131415 16
17181920212223
2425262728  

Most Popular Tags

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags